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Local Trading Families

Ted Bott came to the village in 1925, a raw lad of 15 years of age, looking for work. He took over the fishmongery of Mr Batte and ran the business until retirement in 1991. He comments:

“What a metropolis! I can understand why some people have difficulty in thinking it a village. But despite the hustle and bustle it was a place where neighbours knew each other by name and sight, Something which has not been entirely lost. The images which flood my mind are those of old Dr. Hornibrook driving around in a pony and trap, Dr Llewellyn Jones in his custard coloured vintage car, Mr Colebrook of Fulmer driving his carriage and pair to the station pursued by two Dalmatians running behind and Mr Goddard of Fulmer Gardens who was inclined to do the same.

When I came to set up my own business many years later, I followed the principles of those old shops in providing quality service and fare, attributes which I believe were contributory to my success and which I am sure will sustain those businesses in the village today which face even more vigorous competition as part of the ever changing commercial face of the village”.

The Roff Family: Four generations of the Roff family have supplied fresh fruit and vegetables to the people of Gerrards Cross. Thomas Henry was the first Roff to start the business back in 1890. He didn't have a shop but sold his wares from a horse and cart. In 1906, a shop in Oak End Way, Gerrards Cross was acquired by him and in 1914 the family moved to purpose-built premises in Station Road. The second generation of the Roff family, Thomas William Roff and his wife Lillian took over in the 1920s. and the third generation of the Roff family, David, and his wife Pauline, 44, celebrated 75 years of trading in the Station Road shop in 1989. They were joined by the fourth generation of Roff's — daughter Julie, 21 — who joined the business straight after leaving school.

David used to get up at 4am every weekday to fetch fruit and vegetables from their London wholesalers. "I always wanted to follow my father's foot-steps into the business. And my daughter Julie has been just the same. She started to help in the shop when she was nine or ten years old. She used to help her mother do the flowers," said David. Alas the business was closed in the late 1990s.

Worboys: Leslie Worboys came to Gerrards Cross in 1926 to manage his Father’s shop in Station Parade. He quickly became a part of the Village as a founder member of the Tennis Club in Duke’s Lane but especially in the football team, The Gerrards Cross Traders with his teammates Ted Bott and Tommy Roff, shown in our photograph.

“My Father, Leslie went to a lot of trouble to purchase only the highest quality Scotch beef from Aberdeen and lamb from Somersdet. His sausage recipe was my Grandfather’s and I can remember queues to purchase them at the weekends. In 1935 we moved into Sheildon in Dukes Wood Avenue which was the family home until my Mother died aged 98 in 1999” says daughter, Chris Edgerton.
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